Radiator shutter unit



y 9, 1940- G. A. GILBERTSON 2,207,147

RADIATOR SHUTTER UNIT Filed Jan. 15, 1957 .kfm a2 @7250) 657%[073 J6 027567230 J ca /4 Patented July 9, 1940 PATENT OFFICE 2.207.147 aapra'roa snu'rrsa Um Gordon a. Gilbertaon, Chicago, m, assignor to Pines Winterfront Company, Chi

corporation of Delaware Application January is, 1987, Serial No. 120,102

My invention relates to radiator shutter units and especially radiator shutter units for controlling the flow of cooling air through the radiators of internal combustion engines. I

'Ihe principal object of my inventionis to securea better and more air tight closure of the shutters. Although the application of my invention is by no means limited to radiators for tractors or heavyduty stationary engines, it is particularly desirable mthem fora number of reasons. One reason is that,-as there is no great speedofthe radiatorthrough theairasthereis in an automobile, which can be relied upon when sary to provide a more powerful fan. when the shutters are closed, the power of the fan tends to aggravate any leakage of air through the shutter unit. Also, such engines are generally operated on kerosene or other low grade fuel and are I started on gasoline, only a limited supplyof which is available for the starting period. For this rea-.

son it is desirable to insure as eifective and short a warming of the motor as can be procured, and thisinturnrequiresaminimizingoftheleakage are closed for the starting in cold weather. More specifically, in carrying out .the primary object of my invention, I provide the free or swinging edges'of the shutter blades, where they close against the opposite edges of the adjacent shutter, with a flexible and resilient sealing strip, preferably of rubber. so arranged that when the bodies of the shutters are turned simultaneously to the closed pomtion the sealing strip on each 35 shutter is resiliently urged against the adjacent shutter to providean air tight seal despite any irregularities in the shutters within the limits which may ordinarily be encountered in shutter units even after they have been in operation for 40 some time and subjected to considerable abuse.

Another object of my invention is an air tightseal between the shutters when they are intheir closed position which will satisfactorily cope with the situation presented by the formation of ice on 45 one or both of the cooperating sealing edges of the shutters.

A more detailed object is the provision of protection for the rubber sealing strip and means for preventing the flexing of the strip beyond predetermined limits.

The foregoing together with further objects, features and advantages of my invention are set forth in the following description of specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

thecooling requirements are greatest, it is necesof air through the shutter unit when the shutters Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the shut- 6 I ters with the bearing trunnions thereof removed; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan section through some of the shutters showing their position when l 'ig. 4is a view similar to llig. 3 but showingaio modifled form Fig. 5 is another view similar to Fig. 3 but showing another modification; and

Hg. 6 is a cross section of asingle shutter similar to the modiflcation of Fig. 5, but showing a variation thereof. 1

In the drawing I have shown my invention as incorporated in a} shutter unit applied to the radiator of a tractor. Except for the incorporation of my invention in the shutters, the oonstruction of the shutter and radiator is to be understood as the same as that shown in the con-- temporaneous patent application in the name of William C. Agerell and John D. Durant on radiator shutter units, and reference is made thereto for more detailed description and disclosure of the shutter unit structure and the radiator here only partially disclosed.

The shutter unit indicated generally at I. is mounted to cover the forward face of the radiator core II, and the shutters are preferably, as shown,,.so mounted that when closed they lie close to the face of the core and when open the-free edges of the shutters swing away from the core.

In this manner the fan, which pulls air rearward- 137 through the core, tends to close the shutters. Each shutter I2 is vertically disposed and has a rolled head It at its pivoted edge. The upper end of each rolled bead It carries a trunnion ll where:

by the shutter is mounted at its upper end in a so bearing strip I! carried on the lmderside of the horizontal web of a Z-shaped upper frame member ll of the shutter unit frame.- The lower end of each rolled bead It carries a similar trunnion l1 whereby it is iournaled in a .lower bearing strip it carried on the upper face of the horizontal web of the lower frame member I! of the shutter unit. The frame of the shutter unit is completed at each end by an upright frame member 20 to whichthe upper and lower frame memso here it and It are secured.

The shutter unit is secured to the radiator frame by cap screws 2| which extend through the rear and outwardly directed flange 22 of the upright frame members 20 and into the upright 23 It of the radiator frame. The rear and upwardly directed vertical flange 24 of the upper frame member l6 closes off the face of the core ll between the upper edges of the shutters and upper header of the radiator. A panel 28 closes oi! the face of the radiator core between the lower frame member l8 of the shutter unit and the lower header 21 of the radiator.

The main body of each shutter l2, which is formed of sheet metal, includes, in addition to the rolled bead l3 at the pivoted edge, a panel 28. At its upper end the body of the panel 28 is bent forwardly into a horizontal plane to form an arm 29 having a pivot pin opening 38 for a pivot pin 3| (Fig. 1) by which the arm is connected to an operating bar 32 which is similarly connected to the arms of the other shutters for simultaneously swinging them between their open and closed positions. The operating bar 32 is connected by operating mechanism for convenient movement by the driver, whereby the shutters can be locked in open position, in closed position, or in any desired intermediate position, and spring means may be provided for urging the-shutters one way or another as desired. The operating mechanism, beyond the operating bar 32, is not here shown, but is disclosed in said application of William C. Agerell and John D. Durant.

The panel 28 of each shutter does not itself extend into contact with the bead l3 of the adglacent shutter, instead each shutter carries a flexible resilient strip 33 preferably of rubber, which contacts the bead i3 of the adjacent shutter. The sealing strip 33 includes an anchoring portion 34, preferably of dovetail cross section, which is received in the similarly shaped slot defined by the forward face of the panel 28 and the offset or outer flange of a Z-shaped mounting strip 35, whose inner flange 38 lies directly against the forward face of the panel 28 and is secured thereto as by spotwelding. As shown, the margin of the flange 36 nearest the pivotal edge of the shutter may be inserted to fill a gap between the margin of the bead i3 and the panel 28.

The free edge of the panel 28 is preferably curved forwardly, as indicated at 31, for the dual purpose of reinforcing that edge of the panel and providing a forwardly opening slot between the free margin of the panel and the adjacent edge of the outer flange of the Z-shaped mounting strip 35.- Through this slot an integral portion of the strip 33 protrudes as a curved lip- 38 having curved forward and rearward surfaces arranged somewhat crescent-wise.

The strip 33 is so molded initially that the lip 38 normally extends somewhat more in the general plane of the shutter than as is shown in full lines in Fig. 3. In this way, when the shutters are swung to their closed positions, the lip 38 in contacting the beaded edge of the adjacent shutter, is flexed somewhat against its own resilience. The normal position of the lip 38 in reference to the remainder of the shutter is shown in Fig. 3 by the dotted line position of the shutters when they are swung to open position.

When the operating bar 32 is moved to swing the several shutters simultaneously to their deflnite closed positions, the lips 38 are flexed by engagement with the beads l3 of the adjacent shutters. Due to manufacturing inaccuracies or s" sequent abuse or wear in the moving parts, the several shutters may'not occupyexactly similar positions, but the resilient flexibility of the lips 38 will permit each lip to be flexed to the extent necessary to make sealing contact with its adjacent bead l3 without interfering with the similar sealing of any of the other lips 38 on other shutters. Furthermore, each lip 38 is free to flex resiliently to a different position at diflerent points along its own length affording local flexure from a straight line position for each lip 38. If, as is preferably the arrangement especially for application to tractors and heavy duty engines, the shutters are so mounted that the fan tends to close them, the support afforded by the panel 28 and the mounting strip for all of the strip save its relatively narrow protruding lip 38, prevents the lip 38 under extreme suction from being pulled through the space between the metal parts of the adjacent shutters to a position where the lip would be on the rear side instead of the forward side of the adjacent bead 13. If

that should happen, the lip 38 would lose much of its function in self-closing under suction of the fan, and the reversing of the position of the lip might interfere with the subsequent opening of the shutters. The support afforded by the panel 28 at the edge 31, together with its rather closely spaced distance from the adjacent bead l3, precludes such a reversing action of the lip.

The panel 28 and the mounting strip 35 leave but a relatively narrow edge of the strip 33 protruding and thereby they protect most of the strip against injury, as well as against the action of any influence, such as wind pressure, which might tend to excessive flapping of a wide protruding flexible edge.

When a tractor has been exposed, especially with its shutters set in open position, to sleet or to rain or heavy fog followed by freezing temperature, ice will often form on the shutters, including the cooperating sealing surfaces of the shutters. When the shutters are then moved to closed position in again starting the engine, the

permit the freezing of the water in the radiator while the engine is running, if the outside temperature is low enough. The inclusion of the rubber sealing strips according to my invention, while not preventing the formation of ice on the shutter edges under such conditions, is peculiarly well adapted to surmount the difliculties presented by the ice coating. This it does in two ways. The first way is in the action of the flexing of the lip 38 as it comes in contact with the adjacent bead i3, in scaling off the ice which has been formed on the sealing face of the lip 38. The fact that the protruding lip is tapered in cross section toward its free edge, better insures that the flexure is not localized at the mouth of the slot in the panel, but that instead the flexure occurs in increment throughout the width of the tapered lip. In this way the ice film is scaled from the protruding lip throughout the width thereof. If the protruding lip were of uniform thickness, the flexure would be localized at the mouth of the slot and the scaling would likewise be localized there, leaving a film of ice adhering to the lip therebeyond.

This scaling off of the ice from the lip by the flexing of the lip, may readily be amplified by the driver in repeatedly opening and then closing the shutters to the fullest extent until the ice deposits have been entirely removed from at. least the sealing faces of'the lips 38 themselves. After that has been accomplishd by the flexing of the lips, the lips have only to adjust themselves to unequal thicknesses of the ice deposits on the sealing faces of the beads I 3. The other way in which the rubber lips 38 act to overcome the eifect of such ice deposits is that whether or not the ice .is freed from the sealing faces of the lips 38 by their flexure, the resilient flexibility of the lips will permit them to flex sumciently to make a seal which will compensate for the unequal thicknesses of ice deposits in various places along the line of seal, even though the ice still adheres to the sealing faces of the lips.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of sealing strip and mounting therefor which differs from that shown in Fig. 3 chiefly in the extension of the outer edge 35' of the mounting strip 35 to embrace the side of the lip 38 opposite the adjacent bead l3. The extended margin 35, however, does not closely embrace the lip 38 all of the way to its edge in the normal position of the lip. In this way the strip of Fig. 4 also protrudes from the slot proper. The sealing strip is so molded that its lip 38 normally diverges from the margin 35' of the mounting strip, and even when the lip 38 is flexed to the normal or usual extent in making sealing contact with the adja' cent bead I 3, there is still some divergence between the lip 38 and the margin 35' of the mounting strip. The margin 35 of the mounting strip does, however, constitute a maximum limit for the'flexing of the lip 38. Beyond that extreme limitation of fiexure the sealing face of the lip 38 can yield only by virtue of the resilient compressibility of the rubber of the lip at the line of contact.

The extended margin 35' thus, by limiting extreme flexure of the lip 38, precludes such working or fatiguing of the material of the lip as might prematurely cause it to tear loose. Also the extended margin 35' shields the lip 38 when the shutters are in the closed position and thereby protects it from injury. When the shutters are swung to open or partially open position, the extended margin 35', since it extends as far from the pivot as does the lip 38, will continue to protect the lip against injury.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated still another modification where the mounting strip 35-4 is extended to form a dovetail channel 38 in-which is received a rubber sealing strip 33a of cross section to flt the channel 38 which, when the shutters are closed, faces the rolled bead l3 of the adjacent shutter. In this form the sealing strip 33a does not flex, and compensation for irregularities is afforded by the resilient compressibility of the material of the sealing strip 33a, and

The channel 38 may be formed from.- an integral extension of the sheet material of the panel 28, as shown in Fig. 6.

While I have described these specific embodiments of my invention, I contemplate that many changes and substitutions can be made thereover without departing from the scope or spirit of my invention. 4

I claim:

1. A shutter for a radiator shutter unit comprising a sheet metal panel portion, bearing means for pivotallymounting the shutter along one edge of the panel portion, means adjacent the opposite edge of the panel forming a channel therealong, a sealing strip of rubber received in the channel and protruding therefrom, the protruding portion of the sealing strip being adapted resiliently to contact under flexure and seal against the pivotal edge of an adjacent shutter, and a sheet metal flange carried by the shutter and extending along the side of the protruding edge of the strip opposite from its sealing face and extending as far as the free edge thereof forproviding a protective backing for the sealing strip, the free edge of the sealing strip, in its normal open position, being disposed away from the backing strip but being resiliently flexible theretoward in sealing against the pivotal edge of an adjacent shutter, and in its normal closed position being closely embraced by, but still spaced slightly from, the backing strip.

2. A shutter which, with a plurality of like shutters and a mounting frame, forms a gangoperated shutter unit for an automobile radiator,

the shutter comprising a sheet metal panel portion, bearing means for pivotally mounting the shutter along one edge of the panel portion, means adjacent the opposite edge of the panel forming a channel therealong, a sealing strip of flexible and resilient rubber received in the channel and protruding therefrom away from the pivoted edge, the protruding portion of the sealing strip being constructed and arranged to contact, by resilient flexure from its normal position in relation to the panel portion, and seal against the pivoted edge of an adJacent like shutter in overlapping relation to the proximate side thereof, and means for protecting the back side of the protruding portion of the sealing strip, for limit-- ing sealing flexure thereof and for preventing swinging of the shutter far enough to carry the protruding end of the sealing strip past its seat on the pivoted edge of the adjacent shutter, comprlsing a sheet metal backing flange carried by the shutter embracing the back side of the protruding portion of the sealing strip and extending transversely substantially as far as the free edge thereof but spaced back from the normal unflexed position of the protruding portion while being spaced back only slightly from the normal sealingposition thereof.

' GORDON A. GILBERTSON. 

